Monday, November 24, 2014

What's Sara Reading?: November Edition

Greetings from my reading nook! I don't really have a reading nook, but man, how cool would that be? Do you have an actual reading nook? And NO, I do NOT mean the electronic device. Sorry. Electronic readers are a sore spot for me. I prefer a real, live, actual, BOOK.

This is my second edition of "What's Sara Reading?" and I'm thinking this will be a fun monthly topic. Maybe not every month (these days I do not go through books fast enough) but certainly every quarter. Too business-y for you? Sorry.

I used to eat books like snacks. Sigh. Not literally. Jeeze, I can't win today. Starting in middle school, I absolutely fell in love with books. Mom and I would go to the library every two weeks to load up. I would leave there with a stack of 5-8 books (not even kidding!) and I'd devour them in that 2 week period (still not kidding!). This was also when I started writing so the two went hand in hand. The more I read, the more I wrote. The more I wrote, the more I read. I was hooked.

I just loved (and still love) getting SUCKED IN by a story, getting to know a character so well it ached when it was all over, and just falling in love with the words on the pages. Anyone else relate? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Now that I am a 9-5er and have less free time to do ANYTHING besides what I have to do as an adult, I read MUCH less. I miss it. I miss having hours to fall into a book. I do, however, make sure I take at least 20 minutes for lunch where I can go sit somewhere and read while I eat my lunch. Am I busy? Yes. Could I use those extra 20 minutes to get something done? Sure. But since when are we not allowed a lunch break? I refuse to become one of those drones who eat at their computer. Are you one of those people? STOP THAT HABIT ASAP! You'll live longer. I promise.

So this collection of good reads were not all read in November. Oops. I lied. They were all read this fall, I guarantee that. That's good enough, right?

1. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
This book was funny. Not in a "ha ha" way per se, but certainly in a quirky way. Told in the POV of Lincoln, an IT guy whose job is to read the emails of the company's employees if they get flagged in their system, the book follows him as he gets more and more curious about two gals who spend an awful lot of time gabbing back and forth via email as opposed to do actual work. He begins to feel a friendship toward them even though neither know of his existence! It gets even better when one girl begins talking about a cute new mysterious guy she has seen around the office at night - HIM! It's a good, light, easy read and I enjoyed it.

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
THIS BOOK. It grabs you. The entire story is told in a unique way. Part of the story is told through Bernadette's daughter, Bee's POV and the rest is a collection of publications: emails, letters, articles, bulletin boards - it's really cool! I didn't know if I'd be able to get into a story told that way but it did nothing short of suck me right in. I even MISS this book! The basis of the book is that Bernadette up and leaves without a trace but there's so much more to the book (as usual!). Bernadette is a quirky individual and I loved getting to know her through everyone else's eyes. It's definitely worth reading.

3. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
You want a sad one? This is it. The story is told by 14-year-old June as she experiences her uncle (who she always shared a special bond with) die of AIDS in the late 80s. Like most people back then, she is confused by the disease and there is so much she doesn't understand. It's heartbreaking. She meets Uncle Finn's lover, Toby, and realizes she isn't the only one who misses Finn terribly. The rest is a beautiful but sad story that sticks with you. So well done!

4. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Speaking of a story that sticks with you - Holy Moses! We Were Liars is a sneaky sneaky snake! The story focuses on a family who all vacations in the same place every year (they own summer homes). This summer, though, stuff is MESSED UP due to an incident that happened the year before. The truth of the previous summer unfolds slowly, not letting the reader know too much too soon. The story didn't suck me in terribly like the ones above but as I read it, something about it just felt off. There was something lurking behind the words that I couldn't place my finger on and then THE END COMES AND OH MY LORD AND TAYLOR! Just read this one. I can't say much more unless I want to spoil it.